Despite the struggles
of the five 2006 WNBA Draft Lottery teams during the 2005 season, they do not
necessarily have to wait years to return to prominence and the playoffs. Not only
can they improve their team through the Draft and trades prior to opening day,
but this offseason, free agency will go a long way in shaping teams and rosters
before they ever get to Draft in April. That said, based on last season's rosters,
WNBA.com breaks down the WNBA Draft Lottery teams (before the expansion draft,
trades and free agency - which will both go a long way towards affecting the overall
picture) with a focus on each team's needs for 2006.

The
odds were in Charlotte's favor prior to the 2006 WNBA Draft Lottery, but the Lynx
stole the show.

There is no longer any doubt that this team is re-loading with young talent and
looking towards the future. This is already forward Nicole
Ohlde's team, and she is flanked by Vanessa
Hayden, who won the starting job early in the season. Small forward Svetlana
Abrosimova was healthy and averaged newarly 10 points per game, but her availability
is in question next season, as is that of many international players due to the
World Championships in late September. That very fact alone will require significant
planning and team depth heading into the season. The same applies to Australian
point guard Kristi Harrower,
who started all 34 games for Minnesota.

This team was very much in the competitive
thick of things for the early part of the season. Buoyed by the All-Star play
of Olympian Katie Smith, but
as her offensive fire began to wane, the team traded her to Detroit for another
young player, guard Chandi Jones,
giving the Lynx three top ten picks from the great 2004 Draft class. But is Jones
the outside scoring threat that will bring this team back to the playoffs? She
showed flashes of brilliance after the trade, but was not a consistent enough
performer to get any real sense of whether or not she is the two-guard of Coach
Suzie McConnell Serio's future.

After a season overseas, last year's top rookie,
forward Kristen Mann, could
be relied upon for a greater contribution. Along with veteran forward/center Tamika
Williams and several other key reserves, the Lynx are deep in the frontcourt,
but seriously need to add at least one or two more guards. Without Smith, the
team also needs to replace her contributions from beyond the arc.

After turning their franchise around in 2004 and barely missing out on the Playoffs,
expectations were sky-high for the Mercury in 2005. However, despite a potent
offense and another year with Diana
Taurasi and company exciting the crowd, Phoenix actually won fewer games than
they did in 2004. That said, the Mercury were very much in the Playoff hunt all
season long and lost out on a playoff spot in the final weekend of the season.

The
Mercury had four players score in double figures this season (though after those
four, no one score more than 4 ppg), led by the versatile Taurasi's 16.0 ppg,
and the team's 69.4 ppg was third best. However, it was the team's defense that
often failed them. The team also gave up 69.2 ppg, third worst in the WNBA. This
was a team that had trouble putting teams away down the stretch, often surrendering
second half leads. Perhaps the experiment to play Taurasi at point guard should
come to an end. New coach Paul Westhead is known for his fast-paced, high energy
offense that likes to run, and Taurasi is not the guard to lead that. It just
doesn't make sense to wear out the best player offensive player on the team by
having her handle the ball as well as do more scoring than anyone else.

So
where does that leave forwards Penny
Taylor and Kamila Vodichkova,
who averaged 13.2 and 10.9 ppg respectively? The World Championships might render
one or both of them gone for some or all of the season. The same applies to 6-8
center Maria Stepanova, who
returned to Phoenix this season and made an immediate impact. But in arriving
late and leaving early to compete in the European championships in 2005, the Mercury
were just not the same without her and was a key reason that Phoenix stumbled
down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

The Mercury have some young, relatively
untapped depth in the post. This is a team with a lot of pieces already in place.
But are they the right pieces? Ashley
Robinson, Shereka Wright,
Angelina Williams and Sandora
Irvin, the injured third overall pick in the Draft last season, fill out a
deep roster, though it is unlikely all of them will be back in 2006.

In winning only six games after a significant roster overhaul last season, the
Charlotte Sting likely realize that one pick and one player will not return them
to their former glory. However, a player of the likely caliber of a top overall
draft pick would be a good place to start.

No matter how the Sting go about
improving their roster, they need to focus on offense. For the second straight
season, the Sting were last in the WNBA in points per game. Their 61.6 points
per game, which was last among the 13 teams. Much of this has to do with the fact
that they play at the slowest pace in the league. In 2004, their offense was middle
of the road when adjusted for pace, and their defense was one of the worst in
the league. In 2005, they actually were the worst offense in the league, and they
were the second worst defense after adjusting for pace. This was certainly not
helped by the fact that Charlotte's top overall pick last season, Janel
McCarville, was injured for most of the season and scored only 1.8 ppg in
limited action.

The Sting only had two players average in double figures, forwards
Tangela Smith (13.6 ppg) and
Sheri Sam (11.4), so adding another
scorer would be a good place to start. Guard Allison
Feaster only played in 21 games last year and dropped to fourth on the team's
scoring rankings. The Sting are relatively deep in the frontcourt but woefully
short on guards. Perimeter scoring was a significant weakness last season. The
team averaged only 3.2 3-pointers made per game last season, tenth in the league.

During the playoff stretch run, veteran All-Star point guard Dawn
Staley, the face of the franchise for years, was traded to the Houston Comets
to give her a chance to win a championship before she retired. Her absence leaves
a glaring gap that can either be filled through free agency, or less likely, the
Draft. A rookie starting point guard is certainly a difficult find. Charlotte
was actually an above average offensive rebounding team (as per their offensive
rebound percentage), but was the worst defensive rebounding team. A healthy McCarville
should help that, but a full year under new coach Muggsy Bogues should also improve
team chemistry and help build a new identity. At least they are getting younger.

A team that many have begun to question whether or not is cursed, the San Antonio
Silver Stars continued their string of bad luck this season, falling just one
game short of having the worst record for the second straight season. Touted tookie
Kendra Wecker was lost for
the season in her first game, making it the second straight season that a key
player went down with an injury. Also, despite having the best odds, the Silver
Stars did not come away with the top pick in the 2005 Draft, falling instead to
fourth. Perhaps this is the year their luck begins to improve.

In 2005, the
Silver Stars had only one player, guard Marie
Ferdinand, average double digits in scoring. As a team, San Antonio finished
only ahead of the Sting in points scored per game. New acquisition Wendy
Palmer-Daniel finished second on the team in scoring and led the team in rebounding,
but that was another area the Silver Stars were woefully deficient, finishing
11th out of the 13 teams in average per game. On the bright side, it looks like
they hit the jackpot with 2005 first round draft pick Katie
Feenstra, a 6-8 named to the All-Rookie team.

The return of a healthy Wecker
and LaToya Thomas, who was
playing like an All-Star before getting hurt, could be the scoring lift that the
team needs, but San Antonio is most in need of another perimeter scorer who can
also get to the rack. Point guard Shannon
Johnson, who is not getting any younger, led the team with only 28 3-pointers.
Coach Dan Hughes proved he was a winner with Cleveland, so another year in his
system should help the team improve, though if he needs to start 10 players again,
something he was forced to do last season, it might not get any better.

Just one season after making the Playoffs, the Washington Mystics found themselves
as the odd team out in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race down the stretch.
Five teams competing for three spots, but the Mystics simply didn't get it done
in the last two weeks of the season.

Last season, the Mystics had continuity
in from their starters, featuring the same starting lineup all season long. In
last year's Draft, the Mystics got their franchise point guard in Temeka
Johnson, the 2005 WNBA Rookie of the Year. The fifth overall pick scored 9.3
ppg and finished second in the WNBA with 5.2 assists per game. Her backcourt partner,
Alana Beard, was an All-Star
and an All-Defensive Team honoree in just her second season. She led the Mystics
in scoring for the second straight season.

Center Chasity
Melvin had another fine season for Washington, but was inconsistent despite
scoring 11.7 ppg and leading the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. A pair of newcomers
in the Mystics frontcourt also made significant contributions. DeLisha
Milton-Jones bounced back from a knee injury in 2004 to average nearly 12
points per game and more than 5 rebounds while Charlotte
Smith-Taylor led the team with 42 3-pointers during the season - not bad for
a team that lived and died by the 3-pointer this season, hitting 5.3 per contest,
second best in the league.

Of course, like all of this, everything will depend
on who remains after the expansion draft and which free agents are signed. Much
of this is conjecture, but the Mystics need more depth and scoring off the bench
in both frontcourt and backcourt positions. When the starters came out in 2005,
the offense often faltered. While this team may have enough decent players, they
need more good players to contend in the East with the likes of Detroit and Connecticut.